


Make This Galaxy A Home

by Lil_leels



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Give Suvi a gun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_leels/pseuds/Lil_leels
Summary: 'Suvi Anwar took a deep breath as the computer began counting backwards from sixty. Sixty seconds before her body would succumb to anesthesia and then cryo freezing. Sixty seconds and then six hundred years of travel. Suvi felt small. Insignificant.'Things haven't worked out for the Initiative but a pathfinder has finally come along. Suvi is determined to help her make Andromeda a home.
Relationships: Suvi Anwar/Female Ryder | Sara
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Suvi Anwar took a deep breath as the computer began counting backwards from sixty. Sixty seconds before her body would succumb to anesthesia and then cryo freezing. Sixty seconds and then six hundred years of travel. Suvi felt small. Insignificant.

At thirty seconds, Suvu pictured her parents. Saying goodbye to them had been the hardest thing she had ever done. Almost hard enough to stop Suvi from leaving. Suvi pictured her father's smile, tried to remember her mother's smell. She thought about them laughing at the dinner table or hugging Suvi tightly. She had twenty seconds left in this Galaxy, this century, this lifetime. She wanted to hold on to them. To Glasgow. To home and family.

At ten seconds her eyes grew heavy, her body felt tingly, the effect on her nervous system no doubt. Suvi remembered being a child as her mother told her bed time stories, remembered the scratchy feeling of her father kissing her good night. And then she closed her eyes and catapulted her way across time and space.

Suvi had hoped coming out of cryo would be as easy as entering it had been. That some pleasant monotoned voice would count patiently down from sixty and Suvi would be rearing to go. That was not the case. Waking from cryo had felt like a 7 month process. People rioted. People died. Through it all, Suvi moved in a fog. She was given the task of creating the worst case scenario, who ate and who didn't? Who died in cryo? Who was left with power? All questions Suvi had to answer and the worst, _worst_ case scenario? All of them. Suvi had nightmares for months. She clung to the science, to the facts, but at the end of the day Suvi would pray. Pray for the Initiative. Pray for the people they lost, the people they exiled. Suvi wasn't certain if her prayers worked or if they just helped her cope with the horrors of deciding who lived and who died. 

Which was why when her superior Dr. Aridana told her to report for duty aboard the Tempest as the science team liason on the Pathfinder's team, she thanked the Lord and packed her bags. The Pathfinder was responsible for finding them a home and Suvi would help make it happen. 

* * *

It had taken the crew of the Tempest a few days to acquire all the supplies needed before launching on the Tempest's maiden journey to Eos. Suvi had been busy coordinating between SAM, the artificial intelligence that was core to the pathfinder team, Vetra Nyx, the ships supplier and all-around get-it-done person, and the science team. Suvi already knew the ships pilot Kallo Jath as he was a frequent pilot for the teams off station scouting. She worked closely with Gil Brodie, the ships engineer, on installing her new equipment. She also had a very pleasant conversation over the course of her physical with Dr. Lexi T'Perro. Suvi was grateful for the time to prepare, to adjust. 

Still the arrival of the Pathfinder and the knowledge that the ship would be setting course filled Suvi with a mix of excitement and dread. She knew better than most how badly the first two sites at Eos had failed. She also didn't understand how a small team of seven could succeed in helping settle Eos when whole colonies couldn't. Since Suvi had mixed feelings about it, she decided she would concentrate on her excitement. 

Before the ship set off, the crew were called to the lounge for a team meeting. Pathfinder Ryder was not what Suvi was expecting. Alec Ryder was a formidable man, aloof and reserved. Suvi had met the man only twice but both times she had experienced a distinct desire to hide from his examining gaze. He had commanded her respect immediately and her fear. 

Sara Ryder was something else entirely. The woman was short, which surprised Suvi. She had the same dark skin as her father. Her eyes were amber in color and had the softest traces of laugh lines. Her left forearm seemed to have a Sak Yan tattoo - it appeared to be an Ong Phra design meant as a symbol for guidance and enlightenment. Suvi thought she might be Thai in origin. Her left cheek had a recently healed scar red and puffy across her cheekbone. Her hair was turquoise, cut short at the shoulder and worn wavy, framing her petite face. She was effervescent. 

Sara - Pathfinder Ryder - Suvi corrected herself, looked around the room, meeting everyone's eyes. Suvi smiled at her when their eyes met. A small uptick of Sara's lips told Suvi she was smiling back. 'Hello. Most of you have met me already, name's Ryder but you can call me Sara.' Her voice was warm and pleasant. 'Long story short, my father bypassed protocol and transferred the role of Pathfinder to me instead of the obviously more qualified and way better candidate for the role Lieutenant Harper here.' Sara gestured with a thumb to the woman standing in a military stance next to her. Suvi had little interaction with Lietenant Harper but Suvi was struck by how different the two women were from each other. 

'Aw, come on Ryder,' the only unknown man in the group called out, 'you'll do great!' Suvi noticed the way his eyes lingered on Sara, his eyes portraying a puppy dog like quality. Suvi recognized the crush for what it was immediately. 

'Thanks Liam,' Sara replied with a blush, 'but it was a bone headed move and now you all have to live with it. I'm not a leader and I'm not a fighter. I'm a scientist with a pistol.' 

'And a biotic shield that the Kett couldn't penetrate!' Liam replied cheerfully, practically bouncing on the soles of his feet. 

Sara reached her left hand up to rub at the back of her neck, Suvi traced the lines of her tattoo. 'Right. So we are on our way to Eos and there's an entire spaceship of people expecting us to turn it into a viable home.' Sara pulled the planet up on display. 'The Nexus has two failed sites, here and here.' Sara highlighted the settlements. They were close in range. 'SAM and I have spent the last several days reviewing the data and we believe that it is possible there is an alien technology that could assist in terraforming the planet. We had a similar encounter on Habitat 7. I've sent a copy of my report on Habitat 7 to all of you. That's our first lead. If we can change the atmosphere, lessen the radiation, we might stand a chance of actually growing some food. However site two failed because of a Kett base located here.' Sara highlighted a third spot. 'Kett made regular raids on the sites and have been investigating the alien tech we were speaking of earlier. All attempts at peace talks have ended in blood.' 

'Bastards,' Liam interrupted, pounding a fist into his hand. 

'We are headed for site one. We are to 'do whatever it takes' to make the settlement possible. This means scavenging supplies from both sites, defending against the Kett and research. Lieutenant Harper and Kosta will take the lead in regards to the Kett. I want to make this very clear: in battle I take my orders from Lieutenant Harper. She's the strategic genius we need. Don't come looking to me. Dr. Anwar, Dr. T'Perro and I will be on the research front. Which doesn't mean we won't be fighting. Doctors you will be taking a crash course in combat with Lieutenant Harper. Vetra, Kallo and Mr. Brodie you're our scavengers. Anything even remotely useful needs to be catalogged and put to use or stored. Gil, you'll be training with Liam on firearms. Kallo, I understand you are already firearm certified.' The teams nodded as Sara talked, looking resolute and resigned in turns. 'We have supplies enough for two months aboard the Tempest, at which point we will have to report to the Nexus. I'm hoping that report will be a positive one. Any questions?' 

The group murmurred amongst each other but when no one voiced anything further Sara nodded, 'great. Let's go then.' Sara smiled brightly at the group. The group broke quickly, Gil and Vetra heading towards engineering talking about an all terrain vehicle. Liam left with Kallo, Suvi caught the words 'maiden voyage' and a feeling of excitement coming from them. Lieutenant Harper was speaking in what sounded like Thessian, a native Asari language with Dr. T'Perro. That left Suvi with Sara. 

'So, Doctor Anwar,' the blue haired woman spoke with a grin, 'are you ready to research a completely unknown alien species technology?' 

Suvi smiled back, 'please call me Suvi. There's so much to learn here in Andromeda. Everything, _everything,_ is just beginning. Even the most foundational building blocks to life here are complete unknowns here.' 

'I know what you mean Suvi,' Sara replied, 'it's a mystery waiting for us to solve it. I'm looking forward to working closely with you on this research Suvi.' 

'Me too, Sara,' Suvi said with a smile and she was. Though whether it was the thrill of the unknown or the beauty of the blue haired woman wasn't entirely clear. 


	2. Chapter 2

The standard flight time between the Nexus and Eos was 13.25 hours. The flight path that SAM and Sara plotted was 67.5 hours. When Suvi asked why they were deviating from the standard course, SAM emphasized the scientific importance of scanning and collecting data as they passed through star systems. Suvi had beamed at that explanation. Science was the path to finding home, Suvi just knew it. Sara, however, had a slightly different answer. 

'Have you ever fired a gun Suvi?' Sara asked in response to her question.

Suvi fought a smile, answering a question with a question. 'No Sara. 

Sara nodded, 'well we only have a few days to make you and Mr. Brodie proficient. Dr. T'Perro has assured me she is more than combat capable given her parentage. Which leaves you two as our trainees.' 

Suvi paled a little. 'Are you certain I can't stay on the Tempest? I'm not so good with the guns and the danger.' 

'I'm pretty good with guns and danger,' Sara replied with a smirk, 'maybe I could show you sometime.' 

Suvi was confused. Sara was offering to show her guns and danger? For fun? Like a date? No-Suvi reasoned- not a date. An expiriment. A social expiriment with totally platonic connotations. 

Sara must have realized her confusion because she balked, 'I mean... not that I want to show you danger... I just... I meant like we could... go... off Tempest... together... alone.' Sara slapped a hand to the back of her neck and Suvi thought she saw her cheeks darken. 

Together, alone. The idea made Suvi's brain go fuzzy. 'I'd like that Sara,' Suvi replied. 

'You would?' Sara asked taken aback, 'I mean, I would.' 

The two women stared at each other, equally confused and mesmerised by the other. 'Pathfinder?' SAM querried 'I believe Dr. Anwar was asking if she was required to go in the field.' 

Sara definitely blushed at that. 'Right, thanks SAM. The answer is yes. The Nexus put boots on Eos without having data to guide them. We are going to change that. Dr. T'Perro is our resident biology expert, I expect she will be able to provide insight in to the local creatures and fauna. Maybe even give us a lead on creating a sustainable food supply. Gil and Kallo will tackle engineering and the practical problems of building, managing, and maintaining an outpost on Eos. I'm our resident expert on long-dead civilizations and their technology. SAM is our dead language translator. And you, Dr. Anwar? You are everything else. Everything from dirt to stars is in your wheelhouse, or so I'm told. So, yes, I will absolutely need you on the ground with me.' 

Suvi blinked twice, 'that's a lot of responsibility Ryder.' 

Sara smiled warmly, 'yup. Welcome to the pathfinder team.' 

'And the weapons training?' Suvi asked, feeling nervous. 

Ryder sighed, 'the chances of a kett attack while we're in field seem pretty high. And even if the kett don't attack, there are always wild creatures and plenty of other unknowns. If I'm pulling you from the safety of our cockpit, I'm going to make damn sure you can pull a trigger and recharge your shields.' 

'I don't know if I'll be any good at it,' Suvi murmurred nervously. 

Ryder smiled warmly at Suvi, 'we'll make sure you get plenty of practice. I know you can do this Suvi.' If Sara believed she could use a gun, who was Suvi to disagree. 

* * *

Liutenant Harper was surprisingly patient as a teacher. Suvi could hear Liam yelling at Gil during their training. It wasn't uncommon for Gil to scream back. Cora however, was patient and kind. She started with the science, explaining how and why each piece of armor and every weapon worked and how it was maintained. Suvi drank in the knowledge, always curious to learn more. Cora had walked her through arming up and proper stances, gently correcting Suvi's footwork until she got it right. Cora had armed her with a pistol, a barricade and a handful of grenades to start with. 

Suvi liked the barricade. It was easy to deploy and gave her an immediate sense of safety as it sprang to life around her. Since they couldn't throw live grenades on the ship, Cora had given her practice sand and water 'bombs'. Suvi had thrown bomb after bomb until she felt comfortable with their weight and her own range. Suvi hoped she never had a reason to throw a grenade. The possibility of friendly fire terrified Suvi. Cora had ended with the pistol. The gun itself was small, modded for minimal kickback and maximum punch, or so Cora said. Cora made her fire until her fingers grew sore and her her aim was decent. 

Ten hours before the ship set down, Cora and Liam arranged a skirrmish of sorts. 'This is about muscle memory, Suvi,' Cora spoke kindly as she checked Suvi's armor, 'it's about having done this so many times that your body doesn't have to think. It simply responds, leaving your brain free to think.' Suvi believed her, whole heartedly. She just wasn't sure her body remembered things the same way Cora's did. 'Sara and I will be right next to you, just listen for my orders and keep your defenses up, okay? I won't let you get slimed.' 

For the skirmish, the crew had created slime projectiles and grenades. Cora had promised they washed out easily. Gil promised he had added something particularly smelly to the batch. The rules of the skirmish were simple. Teams of three took their turns against an all out assault from the other team members in a make shift battlefield in the cargo bay. Cora, Suvi and Sara were the first team on defense with Liam refereeing from the platform above. 

'Attackers, you have five minutes to slime the entire defending team. Defenders, either survive the five minutes or take out all the attackers to win.' 

'Attackers ready?' Liam asked. Suvi heard a cheer from the other side of the cargo bay. 'Defenders ready?' 

Cora and Sara both looked at her. Cora was technically the captain of their squad but Suvi was the nervous one. Suvi took two calming breaths before nodding. 

'Ready!' Cora called. 

'Go!' Liam called, with far too much enthusiasm. 

Suvi dived to cover directly to her left, Cora lunged forward and Sara went right. Shouting errupted from the attacking side, creating a cacophany of sound that made it hard to hear. Then Cora's voice crackled in her earpiece. 'Steady.' 

'We've got this Suvi' Sara chimed in flashing her a brilliant smile. 'Team science!' Suvi chuckled. 

Cora took the first shot, firing blindly at the charging line. Suvi wasn't certain if she hit anyone but she did hear Vetra cry, 'cover!' 

Splats of slime echoed on the other side of her crate. 

Sara laughed, taunting the other team, 'you'll have to do better than that you fools.' 

'Suvi, Sara, grenades.' 

Suvi grabbed one of her slime bombs. She was surprised to find it weighed exactly the same as her practice bombs. 

'I'll cover, throw on three. One - two - three!' Cora stood and fired off a round of slime bullets. Sara stood and aimed a grenade at Kallo's left side. Suvi aimed for Vetra. The three ducked as one back in to cover. 

'Out!' Liam cried. Suvi heard Kallo respond with what sounded very much like Salarian curse words. 

'Nice try Dr. Anwar,' Vetra called, 'but not good enough.' 

A subtle blue glow surrounded Suvi's crate, lifting the crate ever so slightly. Suvi spotted the slime bomb at the same time Cora did. 'Grenade!' Suvi responded instantly, slamming her barricade between her and the bomb just in time to avoid being slimed. 

'Nice!' Sara called, leaning out to provide cover fire.

'Suvi,' Cora asked, 'report?' 

'All good,' Suvi mumbled. 

'Can you get to Sara?' 

'Yes,' Suvi replied. 

'Cover fire,' Cora cried. 

Suvi ducked her head and ran, doing her best to cross behind the crates. Sara and Cora both emptied clips firing. 

'Out!' Liam cried. 'Two minutes!' 

'It's just you and me Doc,' Vetra replied 'I have a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy with your name on it if you help me win this!' 

'You're on!' Lexi called back. 'You go left, I'll go right!' They did not go left or right. Instead Cora's crate went flying and Vetra hit the commando square in the chest with a slime bullet. Cora's biotics pushed the bullet away. Lexi pushed, thrusting the crate forward towards Cora, sending her scrambling out of the way. 

'Barricade!' Sara cried in Suvi's ear. Suvi thrust her barricade in the ground while Sara fired on the Turian. 

'Out!' Liam called pointing at Vetra. 

Suvi saw Lexi aiming for Cora, Suvi fired first, hitting the doctor twice in the chest. 'Out! Defenders win!' Liam cried. Suvi stared at the pistol in her hand, noticeably shaking. 

Sara put a hand on her shoulder, 'nice shot Suvi!' 

Suvi shook her head trying to clear the adrenaline rush she was feeling. She looked at the Asari doctor, ensuring she was unharmed. She smiled and wagged a finger at Suvi. 

'You did well,' Cora said with a smile, clapping Suvi on the shoulder.

'Are you okay Suvi?' Sara asked softly so only Suvi and Cora could hear her. 

'I don't think I enjoyed that.' Suvi replied, her stomach threatening to turn. 

Sara smiled wryly at her, 'that's okay Suvi. You don't need to enjoy it. Just survive it.' 

Cora nodded, 'fighting like this makes real wars seem fun but they aren't. It's okay to absolutely hate it. Maybe you're even better for it.' 

'Why don't you referee the next one,' Sara suggested. Suvi nodded mutely.

They skirmished a few more rounds. Suvi ended up attacking once. She hated every moment as she dashed forward from crate to crate before Lexi returned the favor and slimed Suvi in the gut. Suvi was relieved to be out. Sara dismissed them all for quick showers and a few hours free time before they arrived at Eos. Suvi showered and had tried for a nap. She ended up in the lounge, watching the stars fly by. 

'Tea Suvi?' Sara asked quietly.

Suvi grinned and accepted the cup, 'thank you Sara!' 

'SAM said you were displaying signs of stress and restlessness,' Sara said with a shrug, 'I thought this might help.' 

Suvi took a sip. It was earthy with a hint of orange. Suvi was fairly certain it was a Thai based tea, with anise seed and cardamom. She hummed as she sipped the tea. 

'I wish I could say that it gets easier but I also really hope it never does.' Suvi nodded, agreeing. 'I wish I could say you'll never need to shoot that pistol again but that's not true either.' Sara sighed, 'the best I can do is offer to be there when it gets hard.' 

Suvi smiled at Sara over her tea cup. 'That's all any of us can do Sara. Is this Thai tea? Did you bring it from the milky way?'

Sara smiled, 'yeah it is. It was my little bit of home, my one real indulgence.' 

'I brought tea too,' Suvi murmurred quietly. 'A cultivar originating in Sumatra.' 

Sara chuckled, 'that sounds tasty.' 

'Maybe, I'll make you a cup sometime,' Suvi offered. Suvi was surprised she had offered, she didn't have a lot of the tea to begin with and she was strangely protective of those little Earth leaves. 

'I'd like that,' Sara replied softly. 'I'll sit and watch the stars with you any day Suvi.' 

'Thank you Sara,' Suvi replied, feeling lighter. The pair sat for a while, watching the vast space go by, before Suvi started yawning and excused herself to get some sleep before they landed. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some how this posted before I finished it so you may want to re-read the chapter to make sure you got the whole chapter!

The crew landed at site one on Eos. Half the buildings were buried in sand, the shield generators protecting them from radiation flickered conspicuously, and the power generators were down. Suvi, Gil and Kallo stayed on board the Tempest, trying to sort through the generator problems. The rest of crew disembarked for an initial sweep of the site. 

'Tempest, what's the status on the power grid? We can't enter half of these pods without the power on.' 

'As far as we can tell, there's nothing wrong with the power generators Ryder,' Suvi responded, 'you should be able to just turn them on.' 

'Seriously?' Ryder asked, sounding frustrated, 'who the hell cut the power then?' Suvi had no response for that. A dozen theories, certainly, but nothing concrete. 'Nevermind, so we just hit the on button?' 

'In theory.' Suvi responded, 'according to the Nexus blue prints, engineering should be here.' Suvi sent Ryder a set of Navpoints and watched the tiny ant like Ryder on the ground gesture in a direction to the squad. 

'Pathfinder, the stair well is blocked, you will have to find an alternate route to engineering.' SAM spoke over the intercom. 

'Stupid fucking sand,' Sara grunted.

Suvi had to suppress a chuckle. 'I guess I won't need to ask you to bring me back a sample, I can just collect it off all of you.' 

'That's not funny,' Sara replied with a grunt. 

'She's not wrong though,' Liam replied, 'I'm just glad our armor is airtight.'

A crunching sound followed by a thud echoed through the room. 'Ryder!' Lexi exclaimed, 'are you alright?' A glance at the view screen showed Ryder buried under supply crates and a pile of sand. 

'Ugh,' Ryder grunted. 

'The Pathfinder has suffered multiple contusions but is otherwise unharmed Dr. T'Perro.' SAM spoke once more. 

'Thank you SAM,' Lexi replied. 

'You're welcome Dr. T'Perro, the path to engineering is now clear.' 

'You're welcome,' Ryder commented with a grimace. 

The crew trooped upstairs, only to discover a smuggler who had turned the power off to avoid kett detection. Ryder overlooked the many infractions the smuggler was committing, citing a mess of paperwork she wanted to avoid. After the smuggler was gone, Ryder called a quick field meeting in engineering. 

'Alright, so we have to get the power on. That's going to get the kett attention. I was seriously hoping to fly under their radar for a while.' Sara uttered a few choice words, 'Suvi, Gil, what does the reset of the power gride look like?' 

Suvi called up the navpoints. We have to reset generators here,' Suvi highlighted one, 'and here,' she highlighted the second one. 'Then someone in this room must hit the override button here in engineering.' 

'So we hit some buttons and boom power?' Sara asked. 

Suvi smiled, 'well the first two have to hit the button at the same time to avoid overloading either generator. And then, yes, boom power.' 

'SAM, how long between power turning on and the kett dropping in on us?' Sara asked. 

'It is impossible to predict. If the shuttle is from the nearest kett stronghold, five minutes. However it is highly likely that they will have patrols in the vicinity, making the probability of a response time less than five minutes at 93.5 percent. The likelihood of an inbound shuttle arriving within a minute is 37.6%.'

'Cora?' Sara asked turning to her second. 

Cora looked at the map. The generators were spread across opposite ends of the site. Engineering sat above the first generator, close enough to provide cover. The second had little to no cover in its immediate vicinity. 'We'll have to build cover in to generator two. Shift crates and other things to provide cover.' Sara nodded her agreement. 'Divide the team in to two, try to catch them in the crossfire.' 

'Let's position a shuttle at generator two, worst case, team two can fall back on that for cover.' Sara suggested. 'Gil, you'll hit the button in engineering. Keep this door locked. You'll have to trouble shoot if anything comes up.' Gil nodded, looking a bit pale. 'Cora, Liam and Kallo you'll be here at generator one. Get it up and running and then get to the roof. Let's make sure we have cover up there as well. Vetra, Suvi, and I will take generator two. Questions?' The crew shook their heads. Suvi's hands shook slightly. 'Great. Let's get to it!' 

Moving crates proved to be highly labor intensive. Even the biotics of the group stuck to manual lifting, knowing a fight was coming. The sun was beginning it's descent by the time the crew was ready. 

'Com check,' Cora spoke. Everyone reported in. 

'Keep it tight, don't take unnecessary risks, watch each others backs.' Sara spoke. 

'Right,' Gil chirped in, 'Suvi, Kallo on my mark.' 

Suvi stared down at the generator in front of her. Her pistol was stored on her hip. Her mouth was dry. 

'Three... two... one.' Suvi pressed the button booting the generator up. Suvi saw Kallo's side boot up immediately, a whirl of lights and sounds. 

'That's not right,' Suvi muttered, staring in horror as her generator remained dark. 

'Suvi?' Sara asked, looking out at the evening sky, 'what's not right?' 

'Kett shuttle inbound, 90 seconds.' SAM announced. 

'The generator isn't starting,' Suvi muttered opening her scanner. Suvi popped open the compartment at it's front and began searching the wiring. 

'Two minutes to overload,' Gil replied, 'I'll try to reroute systems.' 

'Falling back,' Cora spoke over the coms. 

'Thirty seconds,' SAM reminded them. 

'Oh feldspar!' Suvi exclaimed, 'the circuit is fried!' 

Sara spoke right next to her, 'can you replace it?' 

'Yes,' Suvi started, 'but I'll need a fresh mother board and time.' 

'Can we operate the base on one generator until the kett are taken care of?' Sara asked.

'Definitely not,' Gil replied frantically through the coms. 'I can buy you a few minutes.' 

'Kett!' Cora called as a shuttle flew in over head. 

'SAM where's the nearest mother board?' Sara asked watching the aliens jump from their shuttle.

'I have marked the Navpoint.' SAM replied steadily. 

'I'll go!' Vetra called, ducking and weaving from behind her cover. At the same moment, Cora threw a singularity out in to the middle of the kett. It was a distraction, enough to give Vetra the opportunity to dash in to one of the nearest facilities. 

'There is a second shuttle inbound Pathfinder, estimated arrival two minutes,' SAM's monotone voice rang out across their ear pieces. 

Suvi, who had been gutting the burnt out circuit, and met Sara's eyes with a look of horror. There were so many of them. Sara looked at her calmly. She gave a reassuring smile. 'You've got this Suvi, just keep going.' 

Suvi looked back at her hands. They began working of their own accord, not needing Suvi to even think about it. 

'I have the motherboard,' Vetra said through the coms. 'Shit!' gunfire rang out. A pair of kett had spotted her. Vetra ducked back inside just in time. 

'Covering!' Sara called. She hurled a wave of biotic energy at the pair and unloaded a clip. 

The pair ducked behind some crates. Vetra siezed the opportunity to make a run for it, her long legs carrying her quickly to a rock she could crouch behind, just as the pair began shooting once more. Suvi could hear the bullets ricocheting against their cover, and those weren't slime bullets. Suvi twisted the copper wiring, willing herself not to think about it. Sara unleashed another round allowing Vetra to dash forward. 

'Uh not to put any pressure on anyone,' Gil spoke glibly, 'but things are going to start going boom if we don't get that generator online.' 

'We're working on it!' Sara replied hotly, emptying another clip. Suvi could almost reach Vetra now. Almost. But there was just too much empty space between them. Suvi grabbed a barricade, readying herself for this insanity. When Sara yelled 'covering' Suvi dived from cover, tumbling forward in to unprotected space. As she came up she slammed a barricade in the ground. She grabbed her own pistol to lay down covering fire. Vetra dived behind her. She shoved the motherboard in to Suvi's hands and switched places. 

On the next volley, Suvi dashed back in to the open and then back to Sara's side. She dashed to the generator and began wiring the motherboard faster than she ever had in her life. 

'Pathfinder, you have kett approaching from the rear.' SAM spoke calmly. Sara did not. 

'Vetra!' Sara cried, wheeling around to spot a pair of kett taking aim. 

Sara threw herself in front of Suvi, creating a biotic barricade as shots rang out. Vetra, who had a clear shot, let out a concussive shot and took down both kett. 

Suvi slamed the generator closed and jammed the on button, painfully aware of Sara pressed behind her, the air humming around them as she used her own energy source to protect them. 

'Power levels stabilizing,' Gil replied, obviously relieved. 

Suvi stumbled backwards, landing on her rear in the sound. She wasn't entirely sure how the rest of the fight ended, all she heard was SAM informing them that they were all clear. 

Sara sat, then laid, on the sand behind Suvi. Her breathing was labored. Then she let out a chuckle. It was an insane response to the situation, completely inappropriate. Naturally, Suvi began to laugh too and once she started, she couldn't quite stop. Vetra let out her own quiet chuckle. Sara sat up to look at Suvi and Vetra. 'That was insane. And we have a lot to debrief on but...' Sara looked at Suvi with a twinkle in her eye, 'do you really say feldspar instead of fuck?' Suvi blushed and nodded, which set Sara off again. It was a glorious sound and Suvi found she didn't want to resist joining in. Which is how the pair of them ended up in the med bay, laughing, as Lexi evaluated them for shock. 


End file.
